Logbook entry

The Aberrant Edge

Begin private log.
Date: 4̶̡̛̭̟̠̪͙̜̪̹̻͇̼̲̙͎̻̝̦̰̂̏̅̔̉͛̂̀̉̽̀̅̔̈͋͘͘͘͠/̶̢̛̲͉̌̌̎̾̈́͊3̶̢̈́͂̈͂̓̆̈́̓̂̉̈́́̈́͂̊͒͘͝'̵̨̢͎̻̩̖̺̱̼̪̥̖̞̩̪̟͎̣̒̌͌̏̇̊̿̈̋͗̄͋̈͜͜͝/̵̨̬̞̳̘̭͖̳̘͍͔̙̣̲̹̝̹̗͊͒̓͒͗̉̿̆͑̚͜͝3̶̝͇̬̣̋͝ȩ̸̟͉̠̗͇̖͎͈͉͔͉͉́̓͑̉̑̋̀̈͌͊̄̓̓̓͘͘̚͝͠͝'̷̧̨̻̱̮͉̞̽͂̏̾͌͝ ̷̢̣̱̥̠͇̋̿́͂͌̌̅̏̋́̊̔͊̀́́̿̎̉6̶̡̮̮͛́̀̍̋̏̈́͋̉͗̌̅
Author: _{PERMISSIONS INVALID.}

It’s been an interesting past few weeks.

Skirting around, avoiding potholes with the various minor factions and learning the growing system of networks here at home. I’ve grown my influence with virtually all the factions in Colonia, managed to gain networks around the various systems here, too. There’s a lot of inter-organizational push and pull, things change in what appears to be minor fluctuations as compared to the mess of events and networks back in the Bubble; but overall everyone here has a stake, and nobody likes theirs being moved or the ground under it being shaken up too quickly, or too severely.

That doesn’t stop it from happening.
And out here, less of anything is more – we are fiercely independent for a reason.
That said, it’s also a unique blend of understanding that we don’t need to do as much or get as nastily competitive as is the norm in busier, more civilized space. Outside of scarce resource allocations, that is.

Tempers can flare quickly beneath the surface of what appears to be an otherwise quiet and peaceful calm. Enough that I’ve seen Eaton’s bad side more times than I’d care for. And Melendez – don’t get me started on how he settles disputes and shuts things down when it becomes necessary. I would never want to work under him after witnessing some things… nothing criminal, but certainly nothing kind either.

There are very few other Commanders out here, and most just pass through on their way elsewhere in the galaxy. That makes the odd ones that do stick around for more than a week or two at a time quite valuable.


That said, I’ve noticed an air of expectation from people I've interacted with all around the region – I really can’t blame them, and I know in myself that it is a fact: I’m not here to stay. It’s too deeply in me to venture out, drawn into the heart of my being as if that compulsion should be biologically intertwined and hardwired. On a similarly related note, I may have found a lifeline – leading outside of Colonia, and towards.. well, they haven’t really given me the final coordinates or system names yet.


There was a saboteur, Dan’s had to go into hiding. He seemed almost relieved, probably worried about the Painite spot he’d mentioned when I first got here. I told him not to take the risk too soon, give it some time. But knowing him… I’ll have to pray on that.

Eaton directed me to a contact whom I suspect to have much deeper connections throughout random outposts across the galaxy. We met in an undocumented outpost, a pair of buildings and storage tank really, in a system within a few hundred LY of the greater Colonia region.

I knew the saboteur was there to observe, collect data, maybe take further invasive action as needed. Carina’s updates and the eansit biomorphic companion (who I’m calling “Ceil”) helped alert me and protect most of my critical data. I’m sure my half-uncle is behind it… Honestly, if mom’s side of the family weren’t involved, I’d never seek this all out.

A few of the methods mom taught me for coding techniques while she was here, before she took off, are similar to what I’ve seen shared on GalNet social networks from engineers previously (or currently) working with Sirius Corp. Hints at trade secrets can be hard to hide, especially when E2E encryption remains a right across most of the galaxy.

It was one of these that highlighted my attention with the saboteur: a signatory technique, and user-specific format that suggested a direct line of reporting. All the way back to mom’s half-brother.


Ultimately, I know he’s not going to cause me any direct harm, but the people below him certainly have other methods of choice for their objectives, or those of a superior. Even if it weren’t hinted at, some will take actions and delude themselves into believing it can help with a promotion, or a favor. It’s just the way some people are. But I am actually relieved, because uncle Clian’s probe – which I’m almost 100% certain that it's his – shows the first sign of direct interest and investigative action by him, and that is a good thing.

The family, his part of it, doesn’t want to see me push for certain resource claims that I’d be able to make a mess of. It’s an issue tracing all the way back to the Federation Accord and birthright wars, even beyond that – not to mention how the Colonia region stirred things up – and it’s definitely not a tangle of a problem that anyone wants to see get roused up from a long, quiet slumber.

It was mum’s decision in having me with Dan that created the potential for a problem as far as I’m concerned. It’s a big part of why she took off, that and Clian’s push for the rest of our family to give her a hard time and cold shoulders.  

And it’s exactly why this new contract intrigues me.


I just want the corps to stop doling out the drama. In order for that to happen, they need to know I’m not going to cause a dilemma, and they need to be sure that will be the case for many years to come. I could try to just go in there, walk right in the main door and sign my claim and my rights away.
But I’m not going to do that without making justice for what mom’s been through. And I won’t have us lose absolutely everything that could be set right.

I know not to get greedy.
And now, I have an opportunity to make it worth the corp’s time and attention.


______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

In other news, I’ve made connections with a group of wayward explorers. They’re not as big or active as some others out there, and that suits me just fine. The Commander leading us is out finishing up another expedition, and there are plans to potentially go in on one as a group sometime in the near-ish future. That’ll depend on a few factors, no doubt.

I’ve had some concerns running around Colonia with all the reports coming out of the Bubble on this ongoing pandemic. Multiple worlds and systems affected, and with so many tourists still making their way all over the galaxy… it got different, and a bit scary here for a while. The trends seem to be winding down, though there’s been a rise in pirate activity for some recovering systems, and probably not all reporting sources are being entirely accurate or trustworthy. That said, I am grateful that Ceil’s with me – the backup and reinforcement to my cybernetics and a zoonosis resistance/immune boost are a touch reassuring to be around. Even if it is just psychosomatic veil, the truth is up to half of all manufactured drug efficacy is due to placebo effect, so I’ll take my chances on believing this just a little.

The Omega is nestled down at the edge of Odin’s hold, as if the flurry of neutrons couldn’t get thicker. I have to say, I’m loving my time being back in the home region… it really is so much more wonderful to look out and see so many more stars, and so many more types, than back in the inner Orion. I’m thinking of coming back through Norma, or stopping by Eaton – depending on how things develop with my networks and leads.
Ultimately, this contract might see me going further than I’d like.. but Eaton and the mysterious hologram that I’d met have assured me that this situation is highly pliable. It seems there’s something they want as much as I need more leverage… and the question is, how deep do I want to go?


Here’s to wayward strangers and sleuthing for potentially dangerous fulcra.